C4EO - How we work
This section outlines how C4EO carries out its work
to collect evidence from the service and use this
to offer support to local authorities and their children’s
trust partners to improve services.
Overview
C4EO will gather national and regional data, alongside
evidence of effective practice, consult with Regional
Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)
and colleagues in parallel with national sector
experts, to create a research review and national
and regional progress maps.
Local authorities and their partners may then
need help to apply what works locally. We will
hold regional knowledge workshops and offer input
from sector specialists. We will also develop our
quid pro quo model, where local authorities make
available specialists in priorities where they
are strongest, in exchange for specialists from
priorities where they are weakest.
We will then support local systems change by
providing a progress map on each priority, offering
a variety of audience specific outputs in multi-media
formats, and will offer tailored support to each
local authority, and establish online Communities
of Practice for each priority.
Regional Progression Events and full knowledge
reviews (including validated local practice) will
support implementation.
Knowledge
management – collecting the evidence
from the sector
For each theme, three priorities (key lines of
enquiry) have been identified. For each priority,
18 in total, a research review will be conducted.
Each review
will bring together a unique, quality-assured
blend of qualitative and quantitative data, and
the best, validated local experience that has
proved to be effective.
This element will include
strategies, levers and interventions which
have already proved to be powerful in helping services
improve outcomes and will examine
the reasons for their success. Once the knowledge
review has been published, it will be
regularly updated.
The knowledge gathered from
the reviews will underpin all of C4EO’s
activities. It will make available to those who
commission, provide and work in children’s
services free, accessible and trusted sources of ‘what
works’ evidence.
Outputs and dissemination – sharing
the evidence with the sector
The process of developing our outputs is integrated
into our dissemination programme. At the heart of
the process is the interactive progress maps – an online tool for each priority
which support understanding, transfer learning
and encourage change.
The progress mapping tool will generate summaries
nationally and regionally (and locally where a local
authority has created a local map). We will also
produce a theme learning leaflet towards the end
of each theme. At a glance, directors and senior
colleagues will be able to see progress in the
theme nationally and regionally, and will be able
to use the tool to understand and display the performance
of their own authority.
Our audience specific outputs will be produced in
multi-media formats to meet the needs of different
stakeholder groups.
Capacity
building – supporting services to improve
The aim of our capacity building programme is
to develop sustainable mechanisms for sector-led
improvement.
With regional partners we will recruit, induct, accredit,
train and support a cadre of sector specialists,
to support each of our 18 priorities within the
6 themes.
We will also offer access to accredited OBA specialists
and local authorities will be able to select
from a menu of tailored support choices.
Regional workshops will help identify local partners
and priorities. The quid pro quo programme, building
on good practice of peer support, should build a
sustainable structure for future work, supported
by the six online Communities of Practice.
Evaluation – measuring
our effectiveness
Our evaluation process will focus on understanding
how we have had an impact on improving outcomes for
children, young people and families.
The process will be in four phases:
- assessing the quality of C4EO’s initial
activities
- assessing whether mechanisms for improved outcomes
are in place
- assessing whether those mechanisms are operating
effectively
- assessing whether improved outcomes have been
achieved.
Information will be gathered through a number of
routes, including an annual survey with Director of Children’s Services, an analysis of local
materials and interviews with informants in local
authorities, as well as studies of our influence
on the wider political and professional debate.
A cost-benefit analysis will also be carried out
using two exemplars to compare C4EO’s costs
with its estimated effects and the longer term value
of improved outcomes.
C4EO will conduct internal evaluations, with an external
evaluation likely to be commissioned in the project’s
second year.
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